Wrapping Apparatus and Attachment

ABSTRACT

A wrapping apparatus includes a main body having an annular frame rotatably coupled thereto useful for wrapping one or more objects in packaging material. The frame includes a plurality of packaging material mounts that are configured to dispense such packaging material, and a gathering attachment including an aperture may be removably coupled to the wrapping apparatus proximate at least one of the packaging material mounts to gather the packaging material into a string for wrapping around the one or more objects. Free ends of the packaging material and the string may be secured at or near one or more objects to be wrapped, and the frame may be rotated to cause the packaging material to unwind and wrap the objects simultaneously with both the string and other packaging material.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent App. No. 63/132,602 filed Dec. 31, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a wrapping apparatus and, more specifically, to an attachment for a wrapping apparatus.

BACKGROUND

Stretch film or wrap is generally known in the industry as a material that can be used to securely wrap a collection of objects together using the stretch wrap's resiliency and dinginess. Stretch wrap is typically understood to be a polyethylene film that is generally dispensed from a roll for use in a variety of applications. For instance, a user may hold stretch wrap against a collection of objects and then dispense and stretch the film around the collection of objects and over itself one or more times to cover and hold the objects together. In the shipping industry, for example, a collection of objects may be placed on a pallet to hold such articles together during the shipping process. A collection of individual boxes or objects placed on a pallet can be shipped as a single cohesive unit when bound together through wrapping with stretch wrap and/or other packaging materials. Other applications of stretch wrap are also known such as wrapping agricultural products or simply binding together a collection of loose items, such as firewood. Additional wrapping materials, such as bubble wrap or tape, are also frequently used to wrap objects either on their own or in conjunction with each other and/or stretch wrap.

Although such usages for stretch wrap and other wrapping materials are known, the application of such wrapping materials is generally a time consuming, multi-step process. Even when using a wrapping device, instead of wrapping by hand, conventional wrapping devices are typically designed to wrap with a single type of material at a time. In addition, some conventional wrapping devices are hand-held devices in which the user must physically walk around the object or rotate the object and wrapper relative to each other manually by hand.

To expedite the wrapping process, various wrapping apparatuses (colloquially referred to as “ring wrappers”) are known for automating the process of wrapping objects with stretch wrap and/or other wrapping materials. Such wrapping apparatuses typically include a main body and include a wheel- or ring-shaped frame that is rotatably coupled thereto. The ring-shaped frame may have one or more mounts configured to receive packaging material, such as stretch wrap, about its circumference. An object may be placed or supported near a center of the frame and the frame may be rotated such that the packaging material on the mounts may be rotated with the frame, dispensed, and wrapped around the object in a semi-automated manner.

The stretch wrap or other wrapping material dispensed in such wrapping apparatuses, however, is typically dispensed as a flat sheet having a larger surface area and a corresponding low tensile strength. Such flat sheets with low tensile strength may be problematic when the stretch film is being used to gather a collection of heavier objects or loose materials (e.g., a plurality of rods or pipes, etc.) or a collection of objects that may have irregular shapes (e.g., firewood) because the objects may strain, tear, and/or otherwise rip the stretch film causing it to fall apart. To combat this issue, a user may use a large amount of additional stretch wrap, however, this vastly increases the expense. Additionally, a user may manually wrap twine around the collection of objects after the collection of objects have been wrapped, but this is generally a time-consuming process, the twine can fall off, and this may require additional tools.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wrapping apparatus having a main body and an annular frame, the frame having a first packaging material mount, a second packaging material mount, and a gathering attachment proximate the first packaging material mount;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the wrapping apparatus of FIG. 1, showing the first packaging material mount, the gathering attachment coupled thereto, and packaging material being dispensed from the mount and gathered into a string;

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view of the wrapping apparatus of FIG. 2, showing the gathering attachment and a guide nozzle thereof detached from the first packaging material mount;

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the gathering attachment showing the guide nozzle positioned in an aperture thereof;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of two alternative guide nozzles, each guide nozzle having a cylindrical body, an enlarged diameter base portion extending therefrom, and a bore extending through the body;

FIG. 5B is a lower perspective view of the two alternative guide nozzles of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 showing a collection of objects placed in an opening of the annular frame to undergo a wrapping operation as the annular frame is rotated relative to the body; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a collection of objects after being wrapped by the wrapping apparatus with both stretch wrap string gathered via the gathering attachment and conventional stretch wrap; and

FIG. 8 shows an example kit including a gathering attachment and a plurality of guide nozzles having different diameter bores.

Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of the various embodiments. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a wrapping apparatus is provided including a main body and an annular frame rotatably coupled thereto that is configured to rotate about an axis of rotation for wrapping one or more objects with packaging material, such as stretch wrap. The wrapping apparatus includes a plurality of packaging material mounts coupled to the frame and spaced radially outward from the axis of rotation that are configured to dispense packaging material. A gathering attachment including an aperture may be positioned proximate at least one of the packaging material mounts. The aperture of the gathering attachment is configured to receive a portion of dispensed packaging material and gather the material together as it is advanced through the aperture into a string-like form. The free ends of the packaging material, including the string formed via the gathering attachment, may be secured at or near an object or collection of objects positioned in an opening of the frame. In response to a user input, the annular frame may then be rotated about the axis of rotation to cause packaging material to unwind from the plurality of packaging material mounts and wrap around a periphery of the object or collection of objects. So configured, the wrapping apparatus may be used to simultaneously wrap objects with both packaging material such as stretch wrap from one of the packaging material mounts and string gathered via the gathering attachment from another packaging material mount to improve load stabilization by wrapping the objects with packaging materials having varying tensile strength properties.

In some forms, the aperture of the gathering attachment may be configured to receive a selected one of a plurality of guide nozzles each having a bore of a different diameter. The packaging material dispensed from the packaging material mount may be configured to be advanced into the bore and gathered within the bore for forming the string. Depending on the diameter of the bore of the selected guide nozzle, the packaging material may be gathered into strings or ropes having a variety of different diameters or gauges to impart different material properties, such as tensile strength, for various desired applications. If a user desires a string having a different diameter, the guide nozzle may be detached from the gathering attachment and another guide nozzle may be selected and removably coupled to the gathering attachment for subsequent wrapping operations.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly FIG. 1, a wrapping apparatus 100 is provided having a main body 102 having a housing 103, and an annular or ring-shaped frame 104 that is rotatably coupled to the main body 102. The main body 102 is shown positioned on a stand 105. As shown, the annular frame 104 is positioned at least partially in the main body 102 and is configured to be rotated relative to the main body 102 about an axis of rotation A via a motor 106 as described in further detail below. A support structure 108 may be used to position an object at least partially within the frame 104 of the wrapping apparatus 100 during a wrapping operation. In some forms, the main body 102 and frame 104 may be of various different sizes (e.g., the frame 104 may be of a larger diameter) to accommodate wrapping of either smaller or larger objects depending on the selected application. The frame 104 has a plurality of packaging material mounts that are coupled to and configured to rotate with the frame 104 including a first packaging material mount 110 and a second packaging material mount 112 that are configured to facilitate the dispensing of packaging material. A gathering attachment 113 configured to gather packaging material 114 into a string 115 is shown removably coupled to the first packaging material mount 110, as described in further detail below. In other forms, the frame 104 may include additional packaging material mounts that may be spaced about the circumference of the frame 104 and coupled to the frame 104 at selected points. In the illustrated form, the first and second packaging material mounts 110, 112 are opposite one another 180 degrees about the circumference of the frame 104 but could be positioned in other configurations less than 180 degrees, such as 90 degrees relative to one another.

The first packaging material mount 110 is configured to support a first packaging material 114, and the second packaging material mount 112 is configured to support a second packaging material 116. The packaging materials 114, 116 may be coupled to a material dispenser 118 (e.g., a cardboard or polymer tube) such that the material dispenser 118 may be placed on each mount 110, 112 and the packaging materials 114, 116 may be unwound from the dispenser 118. The packaging materials 114, 116 may be the same as one another, or different, and may be a variety of materials including, but not limited to, stretch wrap, adhesive tape, bubble wrap, paper, metal foil, string, twine, rope, and packing foam. In the embodiment shown, and as described below with respect to FIG. 6, the first packaging material 114 and the second packaging material 116 configured to be dispensed from the first and second packaging material mounts 110, 112 are both stretch wrap. In embodiments where the packaging materials 114, 116 are different from one another, the wrapping apparatus 100 may be configured to wrap one or more objects with multiple different types of packaging materials simultaneously. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the packaging material mounts 110, 112 may be configured to support multiple rolls of packaging materials, e.g., in a side-by-side configuration. In operation, the packaging materials 114, 116, whether coupled to a material dispenser or not, are configured to be mounted to the first and second packaging material mounts 110, 112 in such a manner that permits free rotation of the packaging material dispensers 118 relative to the frame 104 during a wrapping operation such that the packaging material may be unwound and dispensed therefrom.

The motor 106 is configured to drive rotation of the frame 104 relative to the body 102 to cause the frame 104 to rotate about the axis of rotation A. Such driving may be accomplished using a known belt driving mechanism having a belt extending about an outer circumference of the frame 104 (not shown; inside the main body 102) that is configured to be driven by the motor 106. In the illustrated form, the motor 106 is in an external housing 120 on one end of the main body 102, but in other forms the motor 106 may be inside the housing 103 of the main body 102. In alternative embodiments, the belt driving mechanism may be replaced with a gear drive, wherein a portion of the frame 104 includes teeth that engage a gear which in turn is rotated by the motor 106.

Operation of the motor 106 may be controlled directly by user inputs via a user interface 122 such as a graphical user interface or a button on the main body 102 or may include a controller (not shown) to control the wrapping operations. In an embodiment including a controller, the controller may be configured to receive an input from a simple, binary switch (e.g., switch 124) to turn the motor 106 on and off. For example, a user may place one or more objects at or near the axis of rotation A of the frame 104, secure free ends of the packaging materials 114, 116 to the objects, and actuate the switch 124 communicatively coupled to the controller to an “ON” position to cause the motor 106 to begin rotating the frame 104. Once the wrapping operation has been completed, the user may actuate the switch 124 to an “OFF” position to cease rotation of the frame 104.

In another approach, the controller may further include a processor or microprocessor configured to run a preset program, for example, a program that may be set to control the wrapping apparatus 100 in a particular way for a certain combination of packaging materials and/or certain objects to be wrapped. A given preset program may include a preprogrammed speed of rotation and number of rotations of the frame 104. When a user input is received indicating a specific combination of packaging materials and/or a certain object, the controller may be configured to cause the processor to run a corresponding program and activate the motor 106 to rotate the frame 104 for the predetermined number of rotations at the predetermined speed.

During a wrapping operation, the one or more objects to be wrapped may be supported by the support structure 108. In the illustrated form, the support structure 108 includes a base portion 127 and rollers 126 that extend adjacent, or at least partially in, the frame 104 of the wrapping apparatus 100. The support structure 108 is preferably positioned at a height and clearance such that rotation of the frame 104 does not cause the packaging material mounts 110, 112, or any gathering attachments 113 coupled thereto, to inadvertently contact the support structure 108 during a wrapping operation. In addition, the rollers 126 of the support structure 108 are preferably positioned such that no roller 126 is coplanar with the rotatable frame 104 on a plane normal to the axis of rotation A, which in turn permits the packaging materials 114, 116 to be wrapped around the entire periphery of one or more objects via the path of rotation of the frame 104.

In operation, one or more objects may be placed on the support structure 108 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 6) and advanced through the wrapping apparatus 100 by the user via the rollers 126 along a direction at, or parallel to, the axis of rotation A while the frame 104 is being rotated by the motor 106. As a result, the packaging material 114, 116 dispensed from the packaging material mounts 110, 112 may continue to wrap around an entire length of the objects in a spiral-like manner while the objects are advanced through the wrapping apparatus 100. In alternative embodiments, the one or more objects may be supported by an external support such as the tines of a forklift or may even be manually held by a user.

Although the support structure 108 is illustrated as a generally flat surface including the plurality of rollers 126, in other embodiments, the support structure 108 may include a plurality of mirrored pairs of rollers oriented at about a 45 degree angle relative to the horizontal plane to form a “V”-shaped channel of rollers the that are configured to guide one or more objects through the wrapping apparatus 100. In still other forms, the support structure may be formed as a conveyor system such as a belt conveyor or a chain conveyor. In further alternatives, the conveyor system may be replaced with a smooth surface along which objects can be slid.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-4, the gathering attachment 113 is described in further detail. As explained above, the gathering attachment 113 is configured to be removably attached to one of the packaging material mounts, such as the first packaging material mount 110, in order to receive a portion of the packaging material 114 dispensed therefrom, and is configured to gather the packaging material 114 into a string-like form 115. The gathering functionality provided by the gathering attachment 113 is described primarily herein with respect to stretch wrap as a packaging material, but it should be understood that other materials capable of being gathered in a similar manner may also be used in connection with the gathering attachment 113. Alternatively, in forms where the packaging material coupled to the material mount 110 is a roll of twine or wire, the packaging material may still be fed through the gathering attachment 113 in the manner described herein to centralize the dispensing of said packaging material.

As illustrated, the gathering attachment 113 includes a generally “V”-shaped body 128 having a crown portion 130 with an aperture 132 configured to receive the packaging material therethrough, and first and second arm portions 135, 136 extending from the crown portion 130 that are configured to be coupled to either the frame 104 or the first packaging material mount 110. In some embodiments, the aperture 132 of the crown portion 130 may be configured to receive a guide nozzle 134 for gathering the packaging material into string having different diameters as described in further detail below. The first arm portion 135 and the second arm portion 136 each include a proximal section 138 and a distal section 140, and the distal sections 140 of the first and second arm portions 135, 136 are shown parallel one another.

The gathering attachment 113 may be configured to be removably attached to any selected one of the packaging material mounts of the wrapping apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 3, each distal section 140 of the first and second arm portions 135, 136 includes an opening 142 configured to be received over an existing bolt 144 extending through the first packaging material mount 110 on opposite sides thereof.

If a user desires to use the wrapping apparatus 100 to wrap one or more objects with a string 115 having a higher tensile strength, the user may couple the gathering attachment 113 to a packaging material mount 110, 112 by advancing the openings 142 of the distal sections 140 over the protruding shank of the bolt 144. In one aspect, the gathering attachment 113 may be formed of a resilient material, such as a flexible metal or plastic, such that the arm portions 135, 136 including the distal sections 140 may first be flexed outward from one another, the openings 142 may be aligned with the shank of the bolt 144, and the arm portions 135, 136 may then rebound to an initial configuration to cause the openings 142 to advance over the shank of the bolt 144 and selectively retain the gathering attachment 113 thereover. Alternatively, the bolt 144 may be a separate component, or other fastener, that may be advanced through both the openings 142 of the distal sections 140 and a bore of a packaging material mount to retain the gathering attachment 113 thereon.

In some forms, the gathering attachment 113 is pivotally mounted over the bolt 144 such that the gathering attachment 113 may freely rotate relative to the packaging material mount to which it is proximate, about an axis defined by the bolt 144, as the frame 104 rotates during a wrapping operation. So configured, the continuous pivoting of the gathering apparatus 113 may reduce friction applied to the packaging material by the guide nozzle 134 as it is pulled therethrough while being unwound from a packaging material mount and may also facilitate a more direct flow of packaging material to cause a more consistent tension of string 115 and/or other packaging material on the object or collection of objects being wrapped. In alternative forms, once the openings 142 of the distal sections 140 have been received over the protruding shank of the bolt 144, the user may use a wingnut 148 or other securing component such as a pin to secure the gathering attachment 113 rigidly in place. In the event that the user subsequently desires to wrap an object where such string material 115 is not required, the user may elect to remove the gathering attachment 113 by detaching the first and second arm portions 135, 136 via the reverse of the example steps described above (e.g., removing the wingnut 147 and sliding the openings 142 over the edges of the bolt 144 to remote the gathering attachment 113).

Once the gathering attachment 113 has been coupled to the first packaging material mount 110, the distal sections 140 of the arm portions 135, 136 are configured to extend generally transverse to a tangent of the annular frame 104 towards the axis of rotation A at a sufficient length to accommodate a material dispenser 118 having a roll of packaging material thereon. The angled, proximal sections 138 of the arm portions 135, 136 extend from the distal sections 140 and converge towards the crown portion 130 having the aperture 132, which is generally located radially inward of the dispenser 118 relative to the axis of rotation A. In the illustrated form, the gathering attachment 113 is made of a metal material such as aluminum or stainless steel, but may alternatively be formed of a rigid plastic or polymer material. Additionally, the gathering attachment 113 may be formed of as a single monolithic piece or may be alternatively be formed of multiple, discrete components.

Although the embodiments of the gathering attachment 113 described herein include both first and second arm portions 135, 136, it is also contemplated that a gathering attachment 113 with a single arm portion may be utilized and attached to only one side of the packaging material mounts. In still further forms, the gathering attachment 113 may be generally “U”-shaped, or may be of other configurations, provided that the aperture 132 thereof configured to receive and gather the packaging material is generally positioned radially inward of the packaging material mount to which it is attached. In embodiments where multiple dispensers of material may be positioned on the same packaging material mount, a modified gathering attachment may include multiple apertures in the crown portion 130, with each aperture configured to gather packaging material unwound from one of the multiple dispensers.

In some forms, the aperture 132 of the crown portion 130 of the gathering attachment 113 may be configured to selectively receive a guide insert or nozzle, such as guide nozzle 134. As shown in FIGS. 3, 5A, and 5B, the guide nozzle 134 includes a cylindrical body 150 and an enlarged diameter base portion 152 extending from a distal end 154 thereof. The guide nozzle 134 further includes a bore 156 extending through the length of the body 150 that is configured to receive a portion of the packaging material dispensed from the packaging material mount that the gathering attachment 113 is associated with (e.g., packaging material 114 of the first packaging material mount 110). So configured, the packaging material 114 (e.g., stretch wrap) is received into a distal opening 158 of the bore 156, gathered together as it is threaded through the bore 156, and exits a proximal opening 160 of the bore 156 as a compact string-like length of stretch wrap 115. As the stretch wrap material is closely gathered together within the bore 156, the stretch wrap may crumple and/or stick to itself to retain the string-like shape after it has existed the proximal opening 160 of the bore 156. To facilitate the gathering of the generally flat stretch wrap, the distal opening 158 may include chamfered or filleted edges 159 (FIG. 5A) to otherwise smooth the transition between the distal opening 158 and the interior of the bore 156 such that the stretch wrap does not inadvertently rip or tear while advancing through the bore 156. Beneficially, once the stretch wrap is threaded through the bore 156 of the guide nozzle 134, the string 115 formed thereby has a higher tensile strength than that of an ordinary flat portion of stretch wrap.

In alternative forms, the guide nozzle 134 may be formed in a funnel-like shape and the diameter of the bore 156 may gradually decrease between the distal and proximal openings in a tapered manner for gathering the packaging material. So configured, packaging material may be received into a larger diameter distal opening of the bore 156, gathered together as it is threaded through the bore 156 having a gradually tapered diameter, and exit a reduced diameter proximal opening of the bore 156 as a compact string-like length of stretch wrap 115.

The body 150 of the guide nozzle 134 is configured and sized to be received in the aperture 132 of the crown portion 130 of the gathering attachment 113 from an inner surface 162 (FIG. 4) thereof. A user may select and attach a guide nozzle 134 to the gathering attachment 113 by inserting the body 150 of the guide nozzle 134 through the aperture 132 of the gathering attachment 113 and the enlarged base portion 152 may abut against the surface 162 of the gathering attachment 113 to retain the guide nozzle 134 therein. In some forms, a pin or clip (not shown) such as an e-clip or retaining ring may be attached to a portion of the body of the guide nozzle 134 extending through the opposite side of the aperture 132 (opposite the surface 162) to selectively retain the guide nozzle 134 and inhibit removal thereof. In one example, the outer surface of the body 150 may include a reduced diameter recessed portion that corresponds with and is sized to receive an e-clip or other clip thereover in a known manner. So configured, the body 150 may be inserted through the aperture 132 such that the recessed portion is on an opposite side of the surface 162 of the gathering attachment 113, and an e-clip may be clipped or received onto the recessed portion to inhibit removal of the guide nozzle until the e-clip is removed from the recessed portion of the body 150. In some forms, the guide nozzle 134 may be sized such that it may be frictionally engaged and resiliently fit within the aperture 132 of the gathering attachment 113 without requiring a pin or other securing structure. In still other forms, the guide nozzle 134 may be coupled to the gathering attachment 113 via a threaded connection. For example, the outer surface of the body 150 of the guide nozzle may include external threads that may be configured to correspond and engage with internal threads of the aperture 132 of the gathering attachment 113 such that the guide nozzle 134 may be screwed into and threadingly engaged therewith. The guide nozzle 134 may be formed of a polymer or plastic material, or in other forms, may be formed of rubber or metal.

Different sized bores 156 of the guide nozzle 134 may be used to impact properties of the string 115 formed using the gathering attachment 113. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, various different guide nozzles 134, 134′ may be provided having bores of differing diameters such that each guide nozzle may be configured to tightly gather the packaging material into strings having different widths, and thus different tensile strength properties for different applications. As shown, guide nozzle 134 may have a larger diameter bore 156 relative to guide nozzle 134′ and may be configured to gather the packaging material into a string having a diameter of, for example, about 0.5 inches. In contrast, the bore 156′ of the guide nozzle 134′ is smaller and may be configured to gather the packaging material into a string having a diameter of about 0.25 inches. It should be understood that various guide nozzles having different diameter bores between about 0.25 and about 0.5 inches, or smaller or larger depending on the size of the objects to be wrapped or the size of the wrapping apparatus 100, may be selectively coupled to the gathering attachment 113 to produce strings having different desired material properties for wrapping around one or more objects.

By one approach, it may be desirable to use a guide nozzle 134′ having a bore 156′ of a smaller diameter that may gather and pack stretch wrap or other packaging material into a very thin string having a higher tensile strength for grouping together heavier objects such as a collection of metal bars or rods. So configured, such heavier objects may be wrapped simultaneously with both the string having a higher tensile strength, and the stretch wrap with lower tensile strength but greater surface area coverage, to improve the securing of the objects. In other examples, it may be beneficial to select a guide nozzle such as guide nozzle 134 having a bore 156 of a larger diameter such that the stretch wrap is not gathered as tightly and may cover a larger surface area at the cost of tensile strength. Depending on the selected use, a user may easily replace or swap the guide nozzle 134 attached to the gathering attachment 113 with another guide nozzle.

Although the bore 156 in the example guide nozzle 134 is shown as being cylindrical, it should be understood that the bore 156 can also be formed having an ovular cross-section, a rectangular cross-section, or other shapes, that may be configured to funnel and gather the packaging material into unique shapes for wrapping around one or more objects.

Referring now to FIG. 6, an example wrapping operation of a collection of objects 200 will be described. In operation, a collection of objects 200 is shown placed on the rollers 126 of the support structure 108 in an opening or area defined by the frame 104 that is at or near the axis of rotation A and within the depth (in the direction of the axis of rotation A) of the first and second packing material mounts 110, 112. As an initial step, the free ends of the packaging material 114, 116 placed on the first and second packaging material mounts 110, 112 respectively may be secured at or near the collection of objects 200 on the support structure 108. For example, with respect to the first packaging material mount 110 with the gathering attachment 113 coupled thereto, the user may initially feed a portion of the packaging material 114 through the bore 156 of the guide nozzle 134 and pull the string 115 formed thereby through the nozzle 134 and couple a free end 164 of the string 115 to the objects 200. To facilitate an initial threading of the packaging material 114 through the bore 156, the user may use a needle-like object or other narrow rod to initially push the packing material into the distal opening 158 of the bore 156 and through the proximal opening 160. In addition, the user may attach the free end 166 of the packaging material 116 on the second material mount 112 to the collection of objects 200 as well.

The free ends 164, 166 of the string 115 formed of packaging material 114 and packaging material 116 respectively can be secured to the collection of objects 200 by adhering them to the one or more objects of the collection of objects 200, either by an adhesive on the packaging materials 114, 116 themselves (such as the adhesive tape) or by a separate adhesive or strip of adhesive tape. Additionally or alternatively, the free ends 164, 166 of the packaging materials 114, 116 may be held against the objects 200 by the user or by a portion of the wrapping apparatus 100. For example, the free ends 164, 166 may be placed between the support structure 108 and the objects 200 such that the weight of the objects 200 creates sufficient friction between the packaging materials 114, 116 and the objects 200 and/or support structure 108 to secure them in place. In still further embodiments, the packaging materials 114, 116 may simply be made of a material that naturally sticks or clings to the objects, such as cling wrap to a plastic object, and pressing the packaging material 114, 116 against the objects 200 may be sufficient to secure it.

The motor 106 is then activated to induce rotation of the frame 104 relative to the body 102. The packaging materials 114, 116, or packaging material dispenser 118 rotatably coupled to the first and second packaging material mounts 110, 112, are rotatable relative to the rest of the frame 104 such that the packaging materials 114, 116 are permitted to be continuously unwound and dispensed as the frame 104 continues to rotate. For example, as the frame 104 rotates and the packaging materials 114, 116 are dispensed, the first packaging material 114 on the first packaging material mount 110 continues to be pulled through the bore 156 of the guide nozzle 134 so as to be formed as the string 115 that is wrapped around the objects 200 during the wrapping operation. So configured, the wrapping apparatus 100 having a gathering attachment 113 may be configured to use the same material on each packaging material mount, e.g., stretch wrap, to wrap a collection of objects with both the gathered string having a higher tensile strength and ordinary stretch wrap having a lower tensile strength but a higher surface area coverage for a more secure wrapping. Once sufficient packaging material is wrapped around the collection of objects 200, the user may halt the rotation of the frame 104 and cut the packaging material 114, 116 using a knife or other cutting tool.

FIG. 7 illustrates a collection of objects, specifically the collection of objects 200 shown in FIG. 6, after a wrapping operation has been completed. The collection of objects 200 has been wrapped with both the string 115 gathered together and formed by the gathering attachment 113 and stretch wrap material 116 to form a protective wrap around the objects to inhibit the objects 200 from separating or falling apart during transit or shipping. Because the string 115 may also be formed of a stretch wrap material, as the string 115 and stretch wrap 116 are both being wrapped around the objects 200, the string 115 and stretch wrap 116 may “stick” to one another in a known manner as the materials overlap one another while the object 200 are being wrapped. Further, the spiral-like wrapping of the string 115 is shown as a result of the objects 200 being advanced through the wrapping apparatus 100 along the direction of the axis of rotation A. Once the objects 200 have been wrapped in this manner, the objects 200 are layered with both the stretch wrap 116 and the string 115 such that even if an object of the objects 200 were to inadvertently tear or rip the stretch wrap 116, the higher tensile strength string 115 may still securely hold the objects 200 together. Although shown as a collection of objects 200, it should be understood that the wrapping apparatus 100 is configured to wrap enclosed boxes or other items as desired.

By one approach, the gathering attachment 113 may be provided to a customer as a kit 300 as shown in FIG. 8. For example, the gathering attachment 113 may be provided to a customer including a plurality of different guide nozzles, such as guide nozzles 134, and 134′ shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B (and/or a funnel shaped guide nozzle as described above, among others), to permit a customer to attach the gathering attachment 113 to an existing wrapping apparatus 100 and removably attach a guide nozzle depending on the desired application. So configured, the kit may include the plurality of different guide nozzles to permit the customer to select and swap guide nozzles coupled to the gathering attachment 113 to gather string in various different selected diameters for specific applications as explained above. In embodiments such as those described herein where the guide nozzle 134 is configured to be selectively retained on the gathering attachment 113 using a pin or clip (such as an e-clip or retaining ring), the pin or clip may likewise be included in the kit 300 to facilitate attachment of the guide nozzle 134.

While there have been illustrated and described particular embodiments, it will be appreciated that numerous changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intended for the present disclosure to cover all those changes and modifications which fall within the scope of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A wrapping apparatus comprising: a main body; and an annular frame rotatably coupled to the main body, the frame configured to rotate about an axis of rotation; wherein the frame comprises: a first mount radially spaced from the rotation axis, the first mount configured to support a first packaging material; a second mount radially spaced from the rotation axis and circumferentially spaced from the first mount about the annular frame, the second mount configured to support a second packaging material; and a gathering attachment radially inward of the first mount, the gathering attachment having an aperture configured to receive a portion of the first packaging material and gather the first packaging material into a string; wherein rotation of the frame is configured to simultaneously wrap one or more objects with: the string formed by the gathering attachment; and the second packaging material.
 2. The wrapping apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a guide nozzle having a bore, the guide nozzle configured to be received at least partially in the aperture of the gathering attachment and further configured to receive the portion of the first packaging material and gather the first packaging material into the string.
 3. The wrapping apparatus of claim 2, wherein the bore of the guide nozzle has a diameter of about 0.25 inches to about 0.5 inches.
 4. The wrapping apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bore of the guide nozzle has a circular cross-section.
 5. The wrapping apparatus of claim 1, wherein the string formed of the first packaging material has a higher tensile strength than the second packaging material.
 6. The wrapping apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second packaging material is different than the first packaging material.
 7. The wrapping apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first packaging material is stretch wrap.
 8. The wrapping apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second mount is circumferentially spaced from the first mount by less than 180 degrees about the axis of rotation.
 9. The wrapping apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gathering attachment is configured to be directly coupled to the first mount.
 10. The wrapping apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second packaging material comprises one or a combination of stretch wrap, adhesive tape, bubble wrap, paper, metal foil, and sheet formed packing foam.
 11. A kit for modifying a wrapping apparatus to dispense packaging material string, the kit comprising: a gathering attachment having a body, a crown portion having an aperture therethrough, and two arm portions extending from the crown portion, the two arm portions each having a proximal section converging at the crown portion and a distal section configured to be coupled to a packaging material mount of a wrapping apparatus; and a plurality of guide nozzles each having a bore of a different diameter extending therethrough, each of the guide nozzles configured to be removably coupled to the gathering attachment to permit a packaging material to be received in the bore and gathered into a string.
 12. The kit of claim 11, wherein the distal sections of the arm portions each include an opening configured to be received over an existing bolt of a packaging material mount to facilitate securing of the gathering attachment thereto.
 13. The kit of claim 11, wherein the gathering attachment is monolithic.
 14. The kit of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of guide nozzles is configured to be removably received within the aperture of the crown portion of the gathering attachment.
 15. The kit of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of guide nozzles are configured to be frictionally retained in the aperture of the crown portion.
 16. The kit of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of guide nozzles includes a bore having a diameter of about 0.25 inches to about 0.5 inches.
 17. The kit of claim 11, wherein the gathering attachment is substantially V-shaped.
 18. A method of using a wrapping apparatus including a main body and an annular frame rotatably coupled to the main body, the frame configured to rotate about an axis of rotation, wherein the frame comprises a first mount radially spaced from the rotation axis, the first mount configured to support a first packaging material, a second mount radially spaced from the rotation axis and circumferentially spaced from the first mount about the annular frame, the second mount configured to support a second packaging material, and a gathering attachment radially inward of the first mount, the gathering attachment having an aperture configured to receive a portion of the first packaging material and gather the first packaging material into a string, the method comprising: attaching a free end of the string formed by the gathering attachment to one or more objects positioned in the wrapping apparatus; attaching a free end of the second packaging material to the one or more objects positioned in the wrapping apparatus; rotating the frame to cause the first and second packaging materials to dispense from the first and second mounts, wherein the first packaging material is received in the aperture of the gathering attachment and gathered into the string, and wherein the string and the second packaging material are simultaneously wrapped around the one or more objects.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the gathering attachment further comprises a first guide nozzle having a bore, the first guide nozzle configured to be received at least partially in the aperture of the gathering attachment and further configured to receive the first packaging material and gather the first packaging material into the string while the frame is rotating.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising replacing the first guide nozzle with a second guide nozzle, the second guide nozzle having a bore of a different diameter than the first guide nozzle. 